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Intercropping Increases Yields

Posted on December 31, 2019

Trials at Carrington Research Extension Center in North Dakota demonstrate how intercropping can increase yields, reports Farm and Ranch Guide. Research agronomist Mike Ostlie notes that today’s equipment makes it possible to plant two crops at once, harvest them at once, and then separate them. Intercropping works best with a large-seeded crop and a small-seeded crop. Some examples are field peas and canola or chick peas and flax. With intercropping, the farmer is able to gain more yield in a given amount of space, because the different crop plants utilize different resources. However, the cost of separating and marketing the crops must be more than offset by the sale price of the companion crop for the practice to be profitable.